Maridadi Fashion Show

Maridadi is a platform of events managed and organised by Lily Massa of MASSA Banking Consultants Tanzania and a Maridadi production team,encompassing fashion shows, business exhibitions and organised travel from the month of September through to February in any given year. Maridadi’s main objective is to raise awareness for centersdealing with stigmatised social problems such as sexual abuse and rape....

Maridadi Fashion Show Brief

Maridadi Fashion Shows have been held in Arusha from 2010. Maridadi events are financed in kind purely by corporate sponsors such as MASSA Banking Consultants Tanzania,Arusha Hotel, Mount Meru Hotel, Sea Cliff Hotel,Vodacom Arusha in 2010, Hughes Motors, Ford and Hennessy. The events have been highly praised for being very international, professional and beautifully set up but most importantly for raising awareness and funds for the Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Center hosted at the Arusha Lutheran Medical Center in Arusha and providing a platform for models and talented designers to showcase.

In 2010, Tzs 2,000,000= was raised for the Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Center based at the Arusha Lutheran Medical Center ( Selian Hospital )through private donations and a mandatory Tzs 10,000 contribution from ticket sales.

From 2011 - 2012, Tzs 3,900,000= was raised through private donations and the mandatory contribution from ticket sales for the same center. 2012 was the first time that the event was in Dar es Salaam with a focus on driving awareness for the center. The 2013 Fashion Show will continue with the fundraising through ticket sales as usual with the goal of raising up to Tzs 5,000,000 through tickets sales alone.

Maridadi Fashion Shows provides a platform, through fashion shows, to raise awareness for the center and with the continuing support through media coverage, and featured on BBCs Inside Africa, reaching not only a national crowd but international viewers. 2013 looks like an exciting year for Maridadi with a new collaboration with Adidas. It’s a first for Adidas to work with a fashion show in Africa and it will be broadcast by Mashariki Mix, MNET, DSTV.

Maridadi events are licensed and registered by the Tanzania National Arts Council ( BASATA )through MASSA Banking Consultants Tanzania.

Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Center Brief

The Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Center ( SARC ) was set up in 2010 by Dr Mark Jacobson, Linda Jacobson from the United States and the team from Arusha Lutheran Medical Center ( ALMC ).

The center provides FREE counselling services and medical attention to those who have encountered sexual abuse ( males ) and rape ( females ). The center provides a hotline for those who would like to call in for assistance or for counselling. The center also has anoutreach programmes which includes working outside of Arusha in the villages in Lushoto, Tanga and other surrounding areas in Kilimanjaro region to reach out to the public about dealing with the experience of sexual abuse and rape.

SARC is the first center of its kind in Tanzania and in Africa

The counsellor have been trained to work with those who have been through traumatic experiences and in 2011 they worked and trained policewomen in the Central police station in Arusha to set up a help desk and assist those who have been victimised. The center assists those who come to the center after an attack to go to the police station in order to give a statement. These statements have enabled the police to take action against the criminals.

Sadly, 90% of those being victimised are children aged between 8 years old to 12 years old both girls and boys. The center has been able to help them with free counselling and medical treatment on their road to recovery. The cost of treatment is Tzs 20,000 per person and the center is run purely by donations. Maridadi is one of the main donors.